DALLAS — The 2023 NFL Draft is set to start at 7 p.m. CST on WFAA, with the Carolina Panthers starting on the clock.
There will be 31 first round draft picks this year after the Miami Dolphins had their pick forfeited due to violating the league's anti-tampering policy with Tom Brady in 2019.
In the first round, each team is allotted 10 minutes to make their selection. Some picks take up that entire time ... some don't. Dallas Cowboys officials said the 2023 NFL Draft is expected to conclude at approximately 10:30 p.m. CST on Thursday, April 27.
The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft lasted three hours and 25 minutes. The Cowboys have the No. 26 overall pick. So fans may be wondering, what time will Dallas be on the clock?
This isn't an exact science, but here's our best estimate.
What time will the Cowboys make their first round pick?
Let's preface this by saying this prediction is assuming Dallas doesn't trade up and make their pick at No. 26. By all intents and purposes, this is what is expected. Jerry Jones' language during the pre-draft press conference hinted that Dallas will stay put. We have the five main takeaways, including this point, detailed here.
With that said, what time on Thursday will Dallas be picking the newest Cowboy?
If every team used up all 10 minutes allotted to them, the draft would take 310 minutes or five hours and 10 minutes. As we've noted before, every team does not take up the entire time. There is more time allowed for these first round picks than in the later rounds. Second round selections have seven minutes each, rounds three through six get five minutes per pick and teams get four minutes for players picked in the seventh round.
With the coverage expected to last nearly three-and-a-half hours for 31 teams, that would place the expected average if six minutes and 46 seconds per pick. If all 25 teams before the Cowboys stuck to this six-minute, 46-second average, about two hours, 56 minutes and seven seconds would go by.
By this estimation, the Cowboys would go on the clock at approximately 9:56 p.m. CST. For Cowboys fans' sake, we'd recommend tuning in by at least 9:45 p.m. to ensure you don't miss the pick. It's likely the pick will be made right around the 10 p.m. mark.
Even though we aren't expecting it, if the Cowboys trade up, this entire plan goes out the window. In that case, might as well tune in to WFAA from the very start (wink).
Dallas hasn't traded up in the first round since 2012, when it sent first- and second-round picks (No. 14 and No. 45 overall) to the St. Louis Rams in exchange for the sixth overall pick, which was used to draft cornerback Morris Claiborne.
Who will the Cowboys pick?
This is the million dollar question.
Many mock drafts have the Cowboys picking Texas running back Bijan Robinson. As noted in our five takeaways, this isn't out of the question should Robinson fall that far (some mocks have him going as high as No. 10 to the Eagles).
Other positions talked about for the Cowboys in the first round is drafting one of the many talented tight ends in this class.
It's also entirely possible Cowboys fans could leave night one with no one. Trading out of the first round could happen, too. It's worth noting that Dallas will need to retool with future contract negotiations coming up with Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons, CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs and others.
The Cowboys have anywhere between 15-17 players with first-round grades. An unnamed GM told Albert Breer of The MMQB "if you have 15 first-round grades, then the class sucks," and this person told Breer "I got less than 15 this year."
So, if you're not getting a first-round caliber player at No. 26, doesn't it make sense to gain draft capital and move back? This is what makes the draft so unpredictable. Teams are playing cat and mouse with each other, setting smoke screens and trying to move pieces around their chess boards.
Where Cowboys fans can watch the NFL Draft
There are some all around Dallas-Fort Worth to choose from, so we compiled some of them for you here.
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To keep track of the picks in the NFL Draft, click here.
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